Payroll Employment
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the Sixth District states lost a net 44,800 jobs in April from a month earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis. This decline—roughly 50,000 less than the average monthly decline for the previous three months—is mainly due to employment gains in Florida, which added jobs for the first time in two years. Florida gained 1,300 jobs in April, mostly in the professional and business sector, after losing 49,200 jobs in March. Job losses were widespread throughout the rest of the District with the exception of Mississippi. In Louisiana, year-over-year employment growth turned negative for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. The nation as a whole lost 539,000 jobs in April.

March employment figures for the District were revised upwards by 1,300 to –95,200.

Changes in Payroll Employment

M/M absolute change

Y/Y % change

April
2009

March
2009

April
2009

March
2009

AL

–8,100

–7,900

–4.6

–4.2

FL

1,300

–49,200

–4.9

–5.4

GA

–18,500

–14,600

–4.7

–4.5

LA

–7,000

–5,500

–0.4

0.3

MS

600

–200

–3.3

–3.3

TN

–18,900

–15,200

–4.7

–4.4

District

–44,800

–95,200

–4.3

–4.3

US

–539,000

–699,000

–3.8

–3.5

Payroll Employment Momentum
Employment momentum deteriorated further in Louisiana, and the state slipped into Quadrant 3 in April. Short-term employment growth improved considerably in Alabama, reflecting a decline in the pace of job losses in recent months. Employment momentum picked up slightly in Florida but held fairly steady for the remaining District states and the United States (less the Sixth District states).

Unemployment Rate
The overall unemployment rate for the Sixth District states remained unchanged at 9.2 percent in April, above the national rate of 8.9 percent (on a seasonally adjusted basis).

April
2009

March
2009

AL

9.0

9.0

FL

9.6

9.8

GA

9.3

9.2

LA

6.2

5.8

MS

9.1

9.4

TN

9.9

9.6

District

9.2

9.2

US

8.9

8.5

Unemployment Claims
Districtwide initial claims remained elevated in March. Initial claims in Alabama and Tennessee were up 126 percent and 159 percent from last year, respectively. Continuing claims rose again in March with no signs of easing. Continuing claims for the District as a whole were up 123 percent in March compared to a year earlier, an increase consistent with weak hiring rates.